A MERECEDES sports car was blasted with a shotgun in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Police said the black SLK 250 was parked outside a house in West View, off Knowle Lane, Darwen when it was targeted.
Nine police vehicles lined the residential street, as detectives launched an investigation into the incident.
Specialist crime scene investigation officers spent yesterday collecting evidence and conducting fingertip searches behind a police cordon.
The gunshot damage to the Mercedes, worth upwards of £20,000, was discovered by the owner, who lives in the street at around 8.30am.
Police said they were unable to determine what kind of shotgun had been used in the shooting, or whether the gunman had been in a car or on foot.
Neighbours heard a loud bang at around 1.10am, police said.
Nobody was in the car at the time of the attack, and officers confirmed no-one had been injured during the incident.
Residents have expressed their shock at the shooting.
Andy Crosby, who lives in West View described hearing the gunshot.
He said: “We heard a shot at about half past one in the morning. A big bang.
“I thought it was kids letting off fireworks.
“I’ve got two little dogs and they were going mad, but I didn’t think anything of it.
“We just heard one big, clear bang.
“I saw the side of the car, it’s made a mess of it.
“This road is quite quiet, three bobbies live on this row, it’s normally quiet here.
“The only noise is usually from kids taking bikes on the field.”
Other neighbours said they slept through the drama, but were shocked to wake up to see dozens of police searching the area.
One man, whose home formed part of the police cordon, said: “I woke up and saw all the police cars outside.
“I thought there’d been an accident, it’s a bit of a bad spot and there have been accidents there before.
“I just looked out of the window and saw all the police cars, you definitely don’t expect something like that around here.”
Fellow neighbour Marian Holden added: “I didn’t see anything in the night, I was surprised to see the police here this morning.
“I went to take the dog out this morning at half past eight and they weren’t there, then I came back from the field with the dog and they were all over.
“I had to walk all the way round to the shops, they wouldn’t let me through.
“I don’t know whether anybody got hurt or anything.
“It’s surprising, first I heard about the police searching Sunnyhurst woods, and then to hear about this too, it’s a bit much, it’s a quiet neighbourhood.”
Det Sgt Eric Halford said police patrols were being stepped up in the area.
He said: “We have been making inquiries today to establish how the vehicle has been damaged and the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“I would appeal for anyone who may have been in the area at around this time who may have seen something to come forward and speak to the police.
“Fortunately no one was in the vehicle at the time of the incident.
“I would like to reassure residents in the area that we are thoroughly investigating what has happened and will be increasing patrols in the area.”
Sudell councillor Roy Davies said: “To be quite honest it is not a surprise in that area.
“A few years ago we had a shooting in Frances Street.
“It is frightening when you think about it, especially in such a quiet street.
“Anything could have happened and we obviously want to know the reason behind it.
“It just goes to show how rough the area of Sudell is getting.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting log reference LC-20140905-0289

I DO live in darwen and have done the majority of my life , its a shame that people have this view of it as i loved growing up here and thugs and criminals are everywhere not just here . Its a small town with lots to offer and full of good families its a shame that people have such a bad view of darwen. There is a minority of idiots in every town but the majority of people that live here respect people and work hard and hate to be tarred with the same brush as the muppets that make the news !

I DO live in darwen and have done the majority of my life , its a shame that people have this view of it as i loved growing up here and thugs and criminals are everywhere not just here . Its a small town with lots to offer and full of good families its a shame that people have such a bad view of darwen. There is a minority of idiots in every town but the majority of people that live here respect people and work hard and hate to be tarred with the same brush as the muppets that make the news !kirsty wils

HarryBosch wrote:
First of all it's an arson, then the recovery of a vehicle involved in a murder, now bullet holes found in another car! Is it safe to go out in Darwen? Glad I don't live there!

I'm glad you don't too!

[quote][p][bold]HarryBosch[/bold] wrote:
First of all it's an arson, then the recovery of a vehicle involved in a murder, now bullet holes found in another car! Is it safe to go out in Darwen? Glad I don't live there![/p][/quote]I'm glad you don't too!Oldmanofthemountains

I'll do idiot for you..
The value of the house that it's outside of is?
Value of the car itself is?
No comment from the owner?
Shotgun used..
You can't get telegrams nowadays and few reveal their email addresses nor where they live..
Let me guess...
Was it, a message?
If so, why?
...
And don't give me that, 'well respected community person, whom never did no wrong', as that has been shot to bits, by what I learned today, about a certain deceased person!
Let's hope that he gets the message..
The best way to dodge is, get out of Dodge.
Or in this case, Darwen!

[quote][p][bold]steve18gls[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Richard Pembrook[/bold] wrote:
Most of the trouble comes from blackburn[/p][/quote]Shut it Idiot ![/p][/quote]I'll do idiot for you..
The value of the house that it's outside of is?
Value of the car itself is?
No comment from the owner?
Shotgun used..
You can't get telegrams nowadays and few reveal their email addresses nor where they live..
Let me guess...
Was it, a message?
If so, why?
...
And don't give me that, 'well respected community person, whom never did no wrong', as that has been shot to bits, by what I learned today, about a certain deceased person!
Let's hope that he gets the message..
The best way to dodge is, get out of Dodge.
Or in this case, Darwen!woolywords

I'll do idiot for you..
The value of the house that it's outside of is?
Value of the car itself is?
No comment from the owner?
Shotgun used..
You can't get telegrams nowadays and few reveal their email addresses nor where they live..
Let me guess...
Was it, a message?
If so, why?
...
And don't give me that, 'well respected community person, whom never did no wrong', as that has been shot to bits, by what I learned today, about a certain deceased person!
Let's hope that he gets the message..
The best way to dodge is, get out of Dodge.
Or in this case, Darwen!

You what? I thought he car was abandoned - do you think it belongs to that house? Handy if the reg was not blurred out, then I could see if dodgy travellers and or dealers.

[quote][p][bold]woolywords[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]steve18gls[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Richard Pembrook[/bold] wrote:
Most of the trouble comes from blackburn[/p][/quote]Shut it Idiot ![/p][/quote]I'll do idiot for you..
The value of the house that it's outside of is?
Value of the car itself is?
No comment from the owner?
Shotgun used..
You can't get telegrams nowadays and few reveal their email addresses nor where they live..
Let me guess...
Was it, a message?
If so, why?
...
And don't give me that, 'well respected community person, whom never did no wrong', as that has been shot to bits, by what I learned today, about a certain deceased person!
Let's hope that he gets the message..
The best way to dodge is, get out of Dodge.
Or in this case, Darwen![/p][/quote]You what? I thought he car was abandoned - do you think it belongs to that house? Handy if the reg was not blurred out, then I could see if dodgy travellers and or dealers.CapitaBackHander

I'll do idiot for you..
The value of the house that it's outside of is?
Value of the car itself is?
No comment from the owner?
Shotgun used..
You can't get telegrams nowadays and few reveal their email addresses nor where they live..
Let me guess...
Was it, a message?
If so, why?
...
And don't give me that, 'well respected community person, whom never did no wrong', as that has been shot to bits, by what I learned today, about a certain deceased person!
Let's hope that he gets the message..
The best way to dodge is, get out of Dodge.
Or in this case, Darwen!

You what? I thought he car was abandoned - do you think it belongs to that house? Handy if the reg was not blurred out, then I could see if dodgy travellers and or dealers.

Maybe it's some 'code' ... Like those old decoder rings ... The NSA gave him to post with. (Joke Joyce). On another post he's threatening people with war because someone voted his post down!

The rest of the comment really is 'word soup'. Or is that 'salad?' You have failed the NSA code test. Lol

Tut tut shotguns in Darwen. Something new.

[quote][p][bold]CapitaBackHander[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]woolywords[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]steve18gls[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Richard Pembrook[/bold] wrote:
Most of the trouble comes from blackburn[/p][/quote]Shut it Idiot ![/p][/quote]I'll do idiot for you..
The value of the house that it's outside of is?
Value of the car itself is?
No comment from the owner?
Shotgun used..
You can't get telegrams nowadays and few reveal their email addresses nor where they live..
Let me guess...
Was it, a message?
If so, why?
...
And don't give me that, 'well respected community person, whom never did no wrong', as that has been shot to bits, by what I learned today, about a certain deceased person!
Let's hope that he gets the message..
The best way to dodge is, get out of Dodge.
Or in this case, Darwen![/p][/quote]You what? I thought he car was abandoned - do you think it belongs to that house? Handy if the reg was not blurred out, then I could see if dodgy travellers and or dealers.[/p][/quote]Maybe it's some 'code' ... Like those old decoder rings ... The NSA gave him to post with. (Joke Joyce). On another post he's threatening people with war because someone voted his post down!
The rest of the comment really is 'word soup'. Or is that 'salad?' You have failed the NSA code test. Lol
Tut tut shotguns in Darwen. Something new.EYESINTHESKY

Just to set the record straight, as all newspapers have a tendency to make things sound more exciting than they are and there's no exception here I'm afraid.

It's my Mercedes , my house is paid for no mortgage, I also have another new car.

Not everyone in Darwen is on benefits or earns minimum wage for the ignorant amongst you. Lol

I'm not a criminal although I feel like one thanks to the police searching my home and confiscating my phone, I appreciate they have a job to do but it's no fun having your life turned upside down, they needed to be sure I wasn't a gun toting idiot so fair enough but I didn't enjoy it. I was not arrested or taken to the station I was at home all day watching the excitement.

I'm successfully self employed the car and everything else I have comes from hard work, sorry to disappoint those that thought I was a dealer haha even the police were quite surprised tbh :)

(they automatically assumed I was a drug dealer)

It's all down to a dispute between some family friends, apparently rather than try and attack me or even give me some idea of there displeasure decided to shoot my car. I wasn't even directly involved but some people are just deluded.

Well I don't care it's insured and I'm not even slightly intimidated. It just means I'm getting a replacement few months early :)

Darwen is not a bad place to live, just lock up all these chavvy wannabe gangsters and were sorted.

Apologies to the other residents in the area I can assure you there's no master criminal living on your street :)

If the person who did this reads this by any chance, I hope it was worth it as you have gotten yourself in so much trouble now there's no turning back.

The police I spoke with seem very efficient I'm sure it won't be long before you meet them yourself.

Perhaps you can relive the moment in your mind while your in prison enjoying the romantic attentions of your cell mates,

I'll be sure to send you some lube :)

Hahahahaha

Hello everyone,
Just to set the record straight, as all newspapers have a tendency to make things sound more exciting than they are and there's no exception here I'm afraid.
It's my Mercedes , my house is paid for no mortgage, I also have another new car.
Not everyone in Darwen is on benefits or earns minimum wage for the ignorant amongst you. Lol
I'm not a criminal although I feel like one thanks to the police searching my home and confiscating my phone, I appreciate they have a job to do but it's no fun having your life turned upside down, they needed to be sure I wasn't a gun toting idiot so fair enough but I didn't enjoy it. I was not arrested or taken to the station I was at home all day watching the excitement.
I'm successfully self employed the car and everything else I have comes from hard work, sorry to disappoint those that thought I was a dealer haha even the police were quite surprised tbh :)
(they automatically assumed I was a drug dealer)
It's all down to a dispute between some family friends, apparently rather than try and attack me or even give me some idea of there displeasure decided to shoot my car. I wasn't even directly involved but some people are just deluded.
Well I don't care it's insured and I'm not even slightly intimidated. It just means I'm getting a replacement few months early :)
Darwen is not a bad place to live, just lock up all these chavvy wannabe gangsters and were sorted.
Apologies to the other residents in the area I can assure you there's no master criminal living on your street :)
If the person who did this reads this by any chance, I hope it was worth it as you have gotten yourself in so much trouble now there's no turning back.
The police I spoke with seem very efficient I'm sure it won't be long before you meet them yourself.
Perhaps you can relive the moment in your mind while your in prison enjoying the romantic attentions of your cell mates,
I'll be sure to send you some lube :)
HahahahahaVictimofcrime

kirsty wils wrote:
I DO live in darwen and have done the majority of my life , its a shame that people have this view of it as i loved growing up here and thugs and criminals are everywhere not just here . Its a small town with lots to offer and full of good families its a shame that people have such a bad view of darwen. There is a minority of idiots in every town but the majority of people that live here respect people and work hard and hate to be tarred with the same brush as the muppets that make the news !

Fair play, I agree with this comment :)

[quote][p][bold]kirsty wils[/bold] wrote:
I DO live in darwen and have done the majority of my life , its a shame that people have this view of it as i loved growing up here and thugs and criminals are everywhere not just here . Its a small town with lots to offer and full of good families its a shame that people have such a bad view of darwen. There is a minority of idiots in every town but the majority of people that live here respect people and work hard and hate to be tarred with the same brush as the muppets that make the news ![/p][/quote]Fair play, I agree with this comment :)Victimofcrime

Sounds like you got some good friends victimofcrime where do these friends live have you told the police,it irritates people to be awakened by shotgun blasts in the early hours,you need to get real.

Sounds like you got some good friends victimofcrime where do these friends live have you told the police,it irritates people to be awakened by shotgun blasts in the early hours,you need to get real.shirtbox

shirtbox wrote:
Sounds like you got some good friends victimofcrime where do these friends live have you told the police,it irritates people to be awakened by shotgun blasts in the early hours,you need to get real.

Hello shirtbox,

Yes I appreciate what your saying and you have a valid point but I can assure you I have done nothing to warrant this kind of stupidity.

If you had actually read what I wrote it states that I had spoken to the police (repeatedly) and I can assure you I am most interested in seeing those responsible face justice. I appreciate fully other people have suffered as a consequence of this taking place.

As far as friends go have you never had a friend or family member fall in with a bad crowd?

Unfortunately a few people I have known over the years or went to school with have ended up either in prison or with drug or other issues. Others have ended up with fantastic carriers and wonderful opportunities at home and overseas. What control do I have over the path other people chose in life I cannot somehow change history and not know them if they chose a different life to me.

As for getting real sir with the upmost respect I'd say you are the one who needs a lesson in reality, it's easy to judge others based on some small piece of information on the Internet .

I really am surprised by people's assumptions that because my car was shot I must be somehow dodgy by association? Yes I know how it must look because of the way the irresponsible paper portrays it at suspicious and exciting,

I'm not some young scallywag I'm a middle aged man that works seven days a week so I can live without having to worry if I can afford the bills.

Random events never happen I suppose? Or is it guilty until proven innocent these days.

Imagine yourself in my position for a moment? How would you feel if you genuinely had no idea what it was all about other than suspicions and confusion and people thought the worst of you?

It's quite depressing how quick to judge people are these days :(

[quote][p][bold]shirtbox[/bold] wrote:
Sounds like you got some good friends victimofcrime where do these friends live have you told the police,it irritates people to be awakened by shotgun blasts in the early hours,you need to get real.[/p][/quote]Hello shirtbox,
Yes I appreciate what your saying and you have a valid point but I can assure you I have done nothing to warrant this kind of stupidity.
If you had actually read what I wrote it states that I had spoken to the police (repeatedly) and I can assure you I am most interested in seeing those responsible face justice. I appreciate fully other people have suffered as a consequence of this taking place.
As far as friends go have you never had a friend or family member fall in with a bad crowd?
Unfortunately a few people I have known over the years or went to school with have ended up either in prison or with drug or other issues. Others have ended up with fantastic carriers and wonderful opportunities at home and overseas. What control do I have over the path other people chose in life I cannot somehow change history and not know them if they chose a different life to me.
As for getting real sir with the upmost respect I'd say you are the one who needs a lesson in reality, it's easy to judge others based on some small piece of information on the Internet .
I really am surprised by people's assumptions that because my car was shot I must be somehow dodgy by association? Yes I know how it must look because of the way the irresponsible paper portrays it at suspicious and exciting,
I'm not some young scallywag I'm a middle aged man that works seven days a week so I can live without having to worry if I can afford the bills.
Random events never happen I suppose? Or is it guilty until proven innocent these days.
Imagine yourself in my position for a moment? How would you feel if you genuinely had no idea what it was all about other than suspicions and confusion and people thought the worst of you?
It's quite depressing how quick to judge people are these days :(Victimofcrime

shirtbox wrote:
Sounds like you got some good friends victimofcrime where do these friends live have you told the police,it irritates people to be awakened by shotgun blasts in the early hours,you need to get real.

Hello shirtbox,

Yes I appreciate what your saying and you have a valid point but I can assure you I have done nothing to warrant this kind of stupidity.

If you had actually read what I wrote it states that I had spoken to the police (repeatedly) and I can assure you I am most interested in seeing those responsible face justice. I appreciate fully other people have suffered as a consequence of this taking place.

As far as friends go have you never had a friend or family member fall in with a bad crowd?

Unfortunately a few people I have known over the years or went to school with have ended up either in prison or with drug or other issues. Others have ended up with fantastic carriers and wonderful opportunities at home and overseas. What control do I have over the path other people chose in life I cannot somehow change history and not know them if they chose a different life to me.

As for getting real sir with the upmost respect I'd say you are the one who needs a lesson in reality, it's easy to judge others based on some small piece of information on the Internet .

I really am surprised by people's assumptions that because my car was shot I must be somehow dodgy by association? Yes I know how it must look because of the way the irresponsible paper portrays it at suspicious and exciting,

I'm not some young scallywag I'm a middle aged man that works seven days a week so I can live without having to worry if I can afford the bills.

Random events never happen I suppose? Or is it guilty until proven innocent these days.

Imagine yourself in my position for a moment? How would you feel if you genuinely had no idea what it was all about other than suspicions and confusion and people thought the worst of you?

It's quite depressing how quick to judge people are these days :(

Well said x hope its all sorted soon good luck

[quote][p][bold]Victimofcrime[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]shirtbox[/bold] wrote:
Sounds like you got some good friends victimofcrime where do these friends live have you told the police,it irritates people to be awakened by shotgun blasts in the early hours,you need to get real.[/p][/quote]Hello shirtbox,
Yes I appreciate what your saying and you have a valid point but I can assure you I have done nothing to warrant this kind of stupidity.
If you had actually read what I wrote it states that I had spoken to the police (repeatedly) and I can assure you I am most interested in seeing those responsible face justice. I appreciate fully other people have suffered as a consequence of this taking place.
As far as friends go have you never had a friend or family member fall in with a bad crowd?
Unfortunately a few people I have known over the years or went to school with have ended up either in prison or with drug or other issues. Others have ended up with fantastic carriers and wonderful opportunities at home and overseas. What control do I have over the path other people chose in life I cannot somehow change history and not know them if they chose a different life to me.
As for getting real sir with the upmost respect I'd say you are the one who needs a lesson in reality, it's easy to judge others based on some small piece of information on the Internet .
I really am surprised by people's assumptions that because my car was shot I must be somehow dodgy by association? Yes I know how it must look because of the way the irresponsible paper portrays it at suspicious and exciting,
I'm not some young scallywag I'm a middle aged man that works seven days a week so I can live without having to worry if I can afford the bills.
Random events never happen I suppose? Or is it guilty until proven innocent these days.
Imagine yourself in my position for a moment? How would you feel if you genuinely had no idea what it was all about other than suspicions and confusion and people thought the worst of you?
It's quite depressing how quick to judge people are these days :([/p][/quote]Well said x hope its all sorted soon good luckkirsty wils

I agree with VictimofCrime, The police these days seem more interested in honest hard working people than they are in criminals and would-be gangsters. It probably has to do with the fact that crime doesn't pay, so niether do the criminals. When the police need someone to pay for something like criminal damage, it doesn't warrant the effort it takes to get 17p a week for the rest of your life from a 2 bit dole dossing wannabe gangster.

People also need to understand that 'nice car' does not mean 'linked-to-crime'by default. You tend to find that people with nice cars have leased them through business and are either well paid employees or self employed businesses. Visit any respectable asian community and you will see many mercs, audis and BMWs with values over 30k on streets with terraced houses with less value. Why? Because they don't spend much on booze, fags, drugs etc. and they generally share them with the family members. Is this a crime? no, its just people working hard to treat themselves to something nice and in return it improves their communities. One or two people offended by this should get out there, clean up and get a job. If I could choose to have less petty crime and serious crime in my area and that was achieved by creating a community that paid more for out-looking luxuries than it did for narcotics and had even a modicum of respect for each other. I would buy a Merc too and park it outside my terrace.

Also, the person in question has stated that they have their own business and this car probably reflects their customer service and quality in more ways than one. They obviously do a very good job if they can afford a nice car. What people don't realise is that this is also probably a mobile office and is probably used for conducting business, retaining business and for business growth. Something else you can learn in all good educational facilities both in Darwen and Blackburn if you actually attend them.

What if it was your car that was shot by a shotgun?. I think the last thing you would expect would be to be harassed by police and the community. I would expect you would a) want to know who did it and why b) want to know how it is that such people can get their hands on such violent weapons c) want to know that they will be punished for what they have done.

What is more important in these circumstances is that the people responsible are caught and that the weapon in question is removed from the streets - along with those responsible so we can all live happy that it won't happen again. The police need to concentrate on this, and so do the community.

I for one would like to point out that if people are jealous of these nice things that hard-working people have, then they should try working hard too and stop auto-judging.

I agree with VictimofCrime, The police these days seem more interested in honest hard working people than they are in criminals and would-be gangsters. It probably has to do with the fact that crime doesn't pay, so niether do the criminals. When the police need someone to pay for something like criminal damage, it doesn't warrant the effort it takes to get 17p a week for the rest of your life from a 2 bit dole dossing wannabe gangster.
People also need to understand that 'nice car' does not mean 'linked-to-crime'by default. You tend to find that people with nice cars have leased them through business and are either well paid employees or self employed businesses. Visit any respectable asian community and you will see many mercs, audis and BMWs with values over 30k on streets with terraced houses with less value. Why? Because they don't spend much on booze, fags, drugs etc. and they generally share them with the family members. Is this a crime? no, its just people working hard to treat themselves to something nice and in return it improves their communities. One or two people offended by this should get out there, clean up and get a job. If I could choose to have less petty crime and serious crime in my area and that was achieved by creating a community that paid more for out-looking luxuries than it did for narcotics and had even a modicum of respect for each other. I would buy a Merc too and park it outside my terrace.
Also, the person in question has stated that they have their own business and this car probably reflects their customer service and quality in more ways than one. They obviously do a very good job if they can afford a nice car. What people don't realise is that this is also probably a mobile office and is probably used for conducting business, retaining business and for business growth. Something else you can learn in all good educational facilities both in Darwen and Blackburn if you actually attend them.
What if it was your car that was shot by a shotgun?. I think the last thing you would expect would be to be harassed by police and the community. I would expect you would a) want to know who did it and why b) want to know how it is that such people can get their hands on such violent weapons c) want to know that they will be punished for what they have done.
What is more important in these circumstances is that the people responsible are caught and that the weapon in question is removed from the streets - along with those responsible so we can all live happy that it won't happen again. The police need to concentrate on this, and so do the community.
I for one would like to point out that if people are jealous of these nice things that hard-working people have, then they should try working hard too and stop auto-judging.showsomerespect